Inkjet technology has expanded its application to high-speed, commercial and industrial printing, in addition to home and office usage, because of its ability to produce economical, high quality, multi-colored prints. This technology is a non-impact printing method in which an electronic signal controls and directs droplets or a stream of ink that can be deposited on a wide variety of substrates. Inks used in such technologies can be liquid dispersions, solution, or emulsions and can include oil-based inks, non-aqueous solvent based inks, water-based inks and solid inks. Current inkjet printing technology involves forcing the ink drops through small nozzles by thermal ejection, piezoelectric pressure or oscillation, onto the surface of a media. The deposited ink droplets are, then, dried, e.g., using heat or forced air; or allowed to dry at ambient conditions.
Recently, curing of ink by radiation, and in particular ultraviolet (UV) curing, has become popular. In these cases, special ink is used and the image is cured by exposure to a radiation source. The uses of such radiation-curable (or photo-curable) inks and the curing process are rapidly becoming an alternative to the established conventional drying process.
However, radiation-curable (or photo-curable) ink compositions are noticeably limited among available options due to their specific features. Accordingly, investigations continue into developing ink compositions that exhibit, when printed, specific and excellent printing properties such as, for example, jetting properties, good weatherability, as well as improved adhesion and high elongation.